History, soccer provide primer for Spain vs. France

When you talk Spain and France, two things ring true. Until recently, the two nations have rarely found themselves on the same side of anything. They’ve been political rivals since the first crusade. Whether it was during the Napoleonic Wars or World War II, Spain and France have never been able to rely on each other to be more than enemies, rivals, etc. The same can be said in soccer, where the countries represent two of the handful of European powers you can always expect to be across the field from each other during the World Cup and UEFA.